Elyssa and Einar, They of Good and Evil
Elyssa and Einar are worshiped together as a pair, with the emphasis that Dwarves place on balance, this time between good and evil. The priests and followers are fundamentally Lawful Neutral, and they give equal measure to both deities, which can be rather frightening. The cult of Nez-Jerek, as they are called, operated usually in secret, with both Lawful Good and Lawful Evil ceremonies performed daily, alternating each day and celebrating Einar on Empty Skazzmoons, and Elyssa on the Full. Those adopted into the cult are led through a series of strange disorientations until they arrive at what is quite a strange alignment and religious tradition.
The Nez-Jerek is looked down upon by all other cults, and Bonja has been known to send minions in to break up (or make good fun of) their ceremonies, which they take so very seriously.
Elyssa and Einar are perhaps the most misundertood of all Dwarven deities. It seems to take a mystery cult and its rituals to begin an assessment of these two deities. Unlike many others in the Dwarven pantheon, these two have origins that are uncertain and murky. Learned scholars among the dwarves--at least the ones who dedicate their lives to the study of myth and history--have found reference to Elyssa and Einar in tomes so old as to be merely dust on a shelf. There are old stories there that seem to predate the ascendance even of the Eye Theirself.
The two appear in different guises, under different circumstances, with different symbols and dressings, but the idea of good and evil balancing each other, as well as stone and forest, earth and air, might just date back to the Dwarves who emerged from the stone and mountains so long ago.
ELYSSA
Elyssa, Twin Sister of Einar, Mistress of the Good / Mistress of Stone / Mistress of Earth
Elyssa often appears as a raven-haired maiden, and sometimes as a raven. She is extremely beautiful to behold, and is warm-hearted and loving. She often finds herself falling in love with mortals, but exists in a committed partnership with Einar, her twin brother. She is the daughter of the Eye of the Universe, and sister to Karnaem and Yelika.
Note to Alexa: raven wings around the earth.
The Perfect Sqaure of White Light, the Emblem of Elyssa--a somewhat ironic emblem, considering her representation of stone and earth, and by extension the underground. It could be that the Goddess is so old as to represent a different time, very long ago.
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